Chronic pain is a reason I became a therapist
I used to hold a Disabled Blue Badge. I have five prolapsed discs in my neck and lumbar region, and a diagnosis that I am paralysing down the left side of my body with a condition called Dystonia. I also have Spondylosis and widespread Arthritis, but what may interest you is that I have little pain.
It wasn’t always like that…
Acknowledge the pain...
People experiencing chronic pain often feel like that don’t have the right to complain because there are so many people worse off than them. And of course, there are but there are also many people better off than them. When working with pain it it’s important to acknowledge your pain and grieve a little, for the life you had pre-pain. Allowing yourself to say “this isn’t fair” is the first step to a better relationship with whatever condition you have that’s causing you pain.
When we accept the pain and the condition that is at the root of the pain, we have a place to move forward from. Acceptance isn’t resignation, acceptance is a steppingstone to managing better whilst resignation means staying stuck with no way forward.
Imagine you have an argument with somebody close during which some horrible things are said and the next day you try to clear the air, but the other person refuses to discuss any of it. They come back with “No, I’m not discussing it, there are worse relationships than ours. Look at X and Y they don’t get on half as well as we do.” How would you feel? Would you say, “this isn’t about X and Y, it’s about what’s happening to us!” And still, they refuse to discuss, and this goes on every single day, and the argument festers like an open wound. It’s the same with our mind, it just wants us to truthfully acknowledge what is happening when we are in pain because it knows that only then can we move on. Acceptance is the springboard that will spring you forward.
How does this work?
Together we will use the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) which helped me give up my blue badge. We will use Clinical Hypnotherapy and Mindfulness to help you build a connection with your body so that in future you are aware of what is happening before it knocks you off your feet.
If I’m being honest, I sometimes overdo it in the garden and that sometimes hurts my back, the difference now is that I listen to what my body is telling me, and I manage myself in a healthier way.
Chronic pain occurs not only because of whichever condition you are experiencing but also because of the anticipation of what’s coming. The body tenses and we wait with resignation for what we expect to happen next and this often magnifies the pain itself.
I have seen many people improve their lives by addressing the pain that they feel. You can do the same.